


Forbidden Love

by hikaforever28



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, Mild Smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:09:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikaforever28/pseuds/hikaforever28
Summary: Azula and Ty Lee have their romance growing, Azula is smitten by Ty Lee which causes distraction. Ty Lee tries to have a conversation but Azula is too secretive and insecure about her growing feelings. In the end, Ozai being suspicious of Azula's actions lately asks them both to perform a deed.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Forbidden Love

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my friend who introduced me to ATLA and this beautiful angsty ship.   
> Thank a friend who gave amazing song suggestions and with whom I enjoyed having intense discussions, which invoked ideas and inspiration to write.

It was a fine day at Royal Academy of Fire for girls, it seemed usual and monotonous but today was different for Azula. She sat on her desk alone, staring blankly at some of her War and Strategy notes. Generally, Azula is into her subjects and way ahead of her class but right now there is just one name on her lips and endless thoughts about the previous evening.

Ty Lee…

Azula feels restless and is waiting for her to come to the class, wondering what has taken her so long. Azula looks up and glances around the classroom, a group of girls who were peering over her suddenly look away, scared she might do something awful to them. Azula tries to ignore them by leaving an angry glare. Generally, girls at school keep their gaze off Azula out of fear of the Fire Princess who might do anything if she gets agitated.

Isolation is something Azula has faced quite often in school, especially whenever Ty Lee and Mai are away. Azula felt uncomfortable, conscious, and anxious about such situations but always preferred wearing a cold look on her face- the look which made people fear her and dared not to get near her.

“Azula!!!” Finally, Azula hears a familiar voice, the voice which makes her heart skip a beat. Azula turns her head and sees the girl whom she has been thinking of since morning, her only distraction in the world. Ty Lee comes near her and sits beside her on the bench with a sweet smile and glowing bright face- the same face which was serious and commanding the other night.

“You are late today,” Azula says sternly trying not to meet her eyes. Ty Lee gives a flirty little smirk comes closer and whispers, “Apologies Princess, for leaving you waiting!”. Ty Lee eyes Azula’s nape of her neck which is right now covered with the collar of her dress. The exact kind of gaze which makes Azula extremely uncomfortable.

“How are you?” Ty Lee asks in a soft voice.

“I am Okay, could you please not see me with these eyes? You are being intimidated. In fact, I don’t want you to sit with me. Go there and sit at Mai’s place, I need to concentrate right now.” Azula snaps her and starts turning the pages of the book she has been trying to read. Ty Lee loses her grin hearing this, tries to plead “But I thought you would want to talk about yesterday…”

“What is there to talk? Don’t you see I am busy? Leave NOW.” 

This time Azula sounds compelling. The entire class Azula felt guilt and restlessness for sending Ty Lee away. Azula tried hard to concentrate, but her mind was too chaotic right now. She kept flipping the pages, scribbling notes, and never missing a chance to glance at her friend who was physically far. The girl was driving her crazy. There was a rush in her body every time she saw her infectious smile and laughter.

_Azula hates it when she loses her concentration, she wouldn’t let anything disrupt her curricular perfection._

\-----------------------------------------------

“You are not doing it the right way, Princess. Is everything alright? I thought you had mastered the move.” One of Azula’s proficient bending teachers noticed a missing zeal in her attitude.

Often Azula is tutored privately in the school because of her fast grasping skills. She has been a prodigious child and teachers were always impressed with the way she picked up her lessons. Azula was praised for being a dedicated learner- A girl who always thrived excellence and wouldn’t compromise the slightest mistake during practice. Every day was a new mission and that being – How to be better. The power of authority, Supremacy, Uncompromising Efficiency, and Agility was her everyday chant which she learned from her father.

“I will do it again. I will do it till I am able to achieve it.” Azula tries harder this time but fails again. She feels extremely agitated and paranoid about her failure.

“What am I missing?” Azula lets out a cry. After a few more rounds of practice, the teacher realizes Azula needs to stop and unwind her mind, calling off the day would be best for her. It was not long until Azula’s solo practice is interrupted by Ty Lee again. Ty Lee stands in a corner and watches her imbued in practice. She is always is in awe of her. But today she feels confident to interrupt her, worried to see her unceasing fervor.

“Azula, it’s almost evening we need to leave.” Ty Lee calls out to her loud.

“So, are you going to give me orders now?” Azula replies in a sharp voice while she pants for breath.

Ty Lee comes near her, there is a hint of authority in her motion now. She holds her wrist and says “You need to stop, Azula. Today is over. The princess needs to act according to the time. Also, we need to talk.”

Azula couldn’t help but fall silent to her words. She looked at the girl with a subdued expression. The hues from the setting sun were reflected on her skin, the shade of her clothes and eyes looked darker- A reminder of how beautiful she looked in the dusk. The firmness in her tone would compel the princess to listen. Right now, after spending the entire day being away from her friend finally Azula met her eyes, she was shrinking inside due to shyness, but she stood firm by her close presence.

Azula wanted to seal their gap, bury her face into her shoulders let her know how happy and relaxed she felt the other night, but this feeling of affection is so difficult for her to express, it made her feel vulnerable and weak. Deep inside she wanted to cry and vent out the burdened feeling of being the perfect princess, flawless bender, a person who seeks honor in leading her father’s every mission and the one who is taught only to succeed where being a failure is never an option.

Ty Lee needed just a glance at those forever blazing eyes to understand those hundred miseries which were burning her down. She stepped forward and hugged her tight in an embrace slowly caressing her back and calming her down.

_Azula let out a deep sigh, she felt a soothing rush inside her, just like rain on heated soil._

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**The Previous Night**

On several nights, Azula invited her friends- Mai and Ty Lee for sleepovers in her palace, but with newly found closeness with Ty Lee, she often preferred spending time with her alone. Azula was in her red robe standing in front of the mirror, she wasn’t seeing her reflection which disturbed her most of the time. She was looking at the reflection of a sweet girl humming softly to herself and braiding her hair. The sight of the calm and happy girl made Azula feel relieved.

“Are you staring at me, Azula?” Ty Lee said teasingly with a smirk on her face.

“You Know, you can come here look at me while we talk!”

Azula shifted the gaze away from her and turned to face Ty Lee and retorted, “Why would I do that? Are you craving so much attention, that you have started hallucinating me staring at you all the time!?”

“I enjoy getting attention from the fire princess alone.” Ty Lee replied with a flirty tone in her voice, her smile inviting Azula to come closer to her.

Azula walks close to her and caresses her cheek a little, this short moment was enough for Ty Lee to catch an aura of affection wrapped in doubt and insecurities. Azula smiles seeing her friend melt into her touch. Ty Lee opens her eyes slowly, holds her hand, and pulls her closer to sit in front of her on the bed. She takes her hands in her, with a tensed expression on her face.

“Azula, I want to ask you something,” Ty Lee said.

“What?” Azula felt a little lump in her throat hoping for Ty Lee to not ask something which makes her feel uncomfortable, makes her lie to her.

“Do you like it when we are close? You always say love is for the weak. Do you feel weak when I hold your hands like this?” Ty Lee would entwine her fingers in Azula’s and look into her eyes which were equally lost into hers. 

The question hit Azula hard, Ty Lee asked her exactly what she feared.

“Why are you asking me this?”

_You are making it difficult for me to express, why do you make me talk about the things I never want to._

“Because you know how we are towards each other. I always liked you, adored you, and accepted all your sides be it your wickedness towards people or the side which scares you of being a failure. What about the third side? The side nobody knows of besides us. You never want to talk about it.”

Azula feels a sudden uneasiness seeing Ty Lee this way, she is clueless on what to express how to express it.

“If that’s what you want to hear, you know I always count on you, Ty Lee. The only person whom I can always trust.”

_The only person to whom I can always go whenever I feel scared, worried whose smile unconsciously cures me._

With every sentence she spoke, she took a pause and faced her true deep thoughts. Ignoring Ty Lee’s confused expression- Does she really mean what she is saying!?

Ty Lee maintains the calm and says, “And?”

“I like what we share, it feels good. Like it’s obvious why would I ask you for a stayover at my place?”

_You know how it feels when you spend nights with me? The way you talk, I just want to lie on the bed and keep listening to your talks, melt in your sweet voice. It is the only tie when I can think of something other than wars, missions, and burning people. You light up my mood, help me get a good sleep. I am afraid, I am getting too attached to you, what if someday this back-fires on me?_

Ty Lee looks down in disappointment, Azula’s dry words hurt her. But what else could she expect from her? Praises and emotional dialogues? Azula was never going to let them out, not even to Ty Lee. Love is a verb to them. They never speak out but only talk through gestures. Often Ty Lee would feel- Are her feelings for Azula a little too loud and they are just played with or is she the one exploiting Azula’s emotions, after all, it was Ty Lee who always took the lead in coming closer to Azula. Getting into the skin of the wrathful fire princess gave her tremendous joy after all!

“Well.. about how I feel when we do stuff” Azula interrupted Ty Lee’s numerous thoughts, trying to get back her attention. 

**“** It feels nice! And please don’t get so overwhelmed, it is just an _activity_. These things can never distract me. Nor can you distract me. I am too focused on my goals. Every morning is the beginning of a new mission and the nights are just for a good time”

_I am focussed no doubt, but with our increased closeness I die waiting for nights to come every now and then. I try hard not to show the restlessness my heart feels with every kiss we share, the way I lose concentration while studying when suddenly you pop out of nowhere. When you aren’t around, I wait for you, anger creeps over me, makes me want to punish you for making me feel this agony._

Ty Lee had no words to fight back Azula’s remarks, her silence had an unspoken vibe and she was good at catching it. She understood what needs to be done- Erase the uncomfortable conversation. She didn’t want to waste time on petty talks, Azula always built her up to break her down.

Azula sees her invitingly drawing her closer, waiting for her to make a move. Ty Lee comes closer to her lips and whispers, “Let me make you _feel good_ if that’s how you like to say it” 

Ty Lee brushes her lips to Azula’s slowly, her hand running over her body caressing her skin- the kind of touch which melts Azula. With visible goosebumps over her bare thighs, Ty Lee gives into her warm mouth making her breathless with a long passionate kiss.

Azula always loved the way Ty Lee’s bouncy hair came on her forehead, while they kissed it gave her a ticklish sensation. She always smiled at her expression the way Azula reacted to her touch- enclosing herself into Ty Lee just like a touch-me-not plant reacts to stimulus. The powerful and dominating princess turned into a girl who drifted in emotions of pleasure.

This night was different from other nights. The candle flames in the room burnt blue. Ty Lee laid over her, in contact with every inch of her skin. With her, every touch Azula’s chi felt more relaxed and energized altogether. Soft moans filled up the silence of the room.

“Shh. Azula you are being loud, you don’t want anybody to hear us right?” Ty Lee whispered into Azula’s ears, with her hands slowly slipping below her abdomen.

_The flames of passion inside Azula burnt brighter, she only wished for the night to last longer._

_\----------------------------------------------------------------------_

“Come on let’s get back to the palace, it is getting late. I will accompany you for the practice tomorrow at sunrise” Ty Lee says as she brushes her fingers over her hand.

Azula, slightly startled at her touch but with maintained composure on the face calmly follows her. They both start walking back in silence to the place where Azula’s royal Palanquin was waiting for her. A mixture of thoughts started pouring into Azula’s head- some of them having guilt and disgust of failing to perfect the new move taught by her sifu, the comfort, and company of Ty Lee walking beside her, irritation of being distracted the whole day and of course the undeniable memories from the previous night. 

“It’s better if don’t discuss anything about the previous night. I will just say it was good.” Azula flushed and looked away while they walked. She tried to regain her normal self and change the topic after she noticed a grin appearing on Ty Lee’s face.

“I am so annoyed! I feel like a quitter! Sometimes I don’t understand why I even listen to you!! What am I supposed to answer in case my father if he asks?” Azula asked in her sharp voice.

“Azula, you are thinking a lot. You are not a quitter and have always been agile! I am sure you will ace this move tomorrow. I believe in you. Also, you never disappoint your father, you can answer him back with confidence, after all, you are a good liar” Ty Lee replied in her usual sweet, calming voice. 

It was becoming a routine for Ty Lee to escort Azula back to the palace and then leave for her home. This was one of their favorite times together. With the curtains of the palanquin closed. Both made the most out of the short private time they had- They sat close to each other, holding hands, there were moments where Ty Lee made sure to steal a kiss from the princess.

Today felt more soothing for Azula, with Ty Lee sitting close to her, she took a step ahead. Unlike the times when Ty Lee is the one to initiate contact, she reached out to hold her hand first. Ty Lee smiled at the small gesture, thinking about _the effect she had over her._

\---------------------------------------------------------

Fire Lord Ozai was on rounds in the royal garden of the palace. As he saw the palanquin enter, he stood their stoic to observe his daughter’s movements.

“What time is it, General?” He asked tauntingly, just to analyze how late the princess had arrived. Not that it bothered him, he was just curious about what took the princess so long?

Ozai was seldom unhappy with her behavior. The only times Ozai questioned her behavior were the times he would find her slacking with her friends- laughing, joking and playing were signs of developing building interpersonal bonds which would later turn into a sort of weakness. He didn’t want his daughter to build any bonds of friendship or affection, a lesson which has been passed on from his grandfather Sozin himself. Seeing Azula and Ty Lee step out of the palanquin he suspected, Azula was slipping away from the focus of her duties she is on her path to the attachment. He remembered some of her childhood incidents where Azula wanted to be treated the same way Ursa was with Zuko. These were the times when Ozai gave her the first lesson- _“Love is for fools, Fear is the only way”._

Ozai had to test his daughter to make sure she was on the right path.

“Azula, look the Fire Lord is here.” Ty Lee said in her small startled voice.

Azula looked at her father who was now coming towards them. Her expression faded into a worry. These kinds of unexpected visits from her father never ended so well.

_Why is he here right now? Is there anything I did to disappoint him? Is there a new task for me from him? What is it!? He is having that smirk, the kind of smirk where he is thinking of something awful._

“Greetings, Father!” Azula bowed respectfully to Ozai in the traditional Fire nation manner.

“Greetings, Azula! I see you had a long day at school. I am happy that you are working very hard! We are blessed to have a responsible daughter like you.” Ozai smiled and replied in his formal voice.

“Yes Father, I stayed longer for practising. I always aim for perfection.” Azula said in her confident high- pitched tone.

“I am impressed! In that case, why don’t you show me what you have learned today? You can demonstrate it on Ty Lee.” Ozai replied shifting his gaze from Azula to Ty Lee who was as stoic and composed as Azula.

“Will you be able to take on a fight with Azula and defend her newly learned moves?” Ozai asked Ty Lee.

Ty Lee looked at Azula who equally seemed perplexed about the Fire Lord’s ask.

“I can do it, Fire Lord.” Ty Lee bowed humbly and spoke with confidence.

_Azula was not understanding what was going on. She felt blank and lost. Is she supposed to demonstrate her move in a fight with someone she is close to? Is Ty Lee ready to take this danger and risk of getting hurt? She knows about the damage I can cause with my moves, is she not scared? What about the feelings from the previous night?_

In the meanwhile, Azula sees Ty Lee standing in front of her ready to take her position. There is a little smirk on her face. The kind which Azula likes, the kind which makes Ty Lee look vicious. This is the girl Azula likes, who always rides or dies and is ready to face any threat.

_I am not going to go easy on her, she will be treated like an opponent who ought to be defeated in this fight. Father doubts my capability, I am going to remind him that I AM THE PRODIGY and a non-bender can’t take me down._

“Alright, get ready to lose Ty Lee- you should be scared of whom you are dueling with!” Azula snarled back with the same fiery glare. She recollected the practised moves, not showing a sign of under confidence of the imperfect move which wasn’t mastered.

Azula saw the smile on Ozai’s face get bigger. She realized her father didn’t care about delivering the “Perfect Move”. He wanted to turn her against a friend, see her become someone ruthless who never hesitates to cause harm- even to an ally. He wanted to make sure she held no attachments in doing so. This was the actual test and she had to clear it.

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda my first WLW fic, hope I was able to do justice to the characters and express them well!   
> Also, English isn't my first language! Kindly forgive me in case there are grammatical errors!


End file.
